Display systems that are capable of displaying three-dimensional presentations in a realistic three-dimensional field without the need to wear specialized glasses or other eye coverings are beginning to enter the marketplace. Such display systems employ stereoscopic techniques that create a genuine impression of depth on the part of the viewer. It is anticipated that such display systems will significantly penetrate into the market space presently occupied by conventional two-dimensional display systems.
One anticipated application for such display systems is in the aviation industry. Display systems capable of displaying three-dimensional presentations in a realistic three-dimensional field will likely provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness and a greater ability to perceive the airborne and ground environments below. Such display systems may, for example, be used to display the topographical environment around and beneath an aircraft during flight, to display a depiction of other airborne objects, and/or to display a three-dimensional projection of the aircraft's flight path through the three-dimensional environment. Existing systems, such as a synthetic vision system, attempt to provide a pilot with this information using two-dimensional display screens to display two-dimensional images rendered using common graphic techniques that create the appearance of perspective, but it is anticipated that display systems which are capable of displaying true three-dimensional images would enhance a pilot's ability to assimilate information about the airborne environment.
While three-dimensional display systems are just beginning to enter the marketplace, touch screen display systems are well known and have been widely used for years to provide control inputs into commanded systems in a wide variety of industries. Despite this widespread proliferation, touch screen display systems have had only limited penetration into the aviation industry. Recently however, this has begun to change and touch screen display systems are now being utilized with greater frequency in various aviation-related applications, such as controlling various systems on board an aircraft.
Some display systems that are configured to present a three-dimensional image also incorporate touch sensitive technologies, thereby allowing an operator to interact directly with the three-dimensional image through touch. However, because such display systems present realistic three-dimensional images, it may be challenging to accurately select an icon or lock onto a piece of symbology that is displayed within the three-dimensional image by simply touching a portion of the surface of the display system's display screen. This is because the object that the operator is attempting to point at will appear to be at different locations depending upon the perspective from which the three-dimensional image is viewed. Because the operator cannot reach through the surface of the display screen and into the three-dimensional environment to touch an object, use of standard touch screen technologies in conjunction with display systems that are configured to display three-dimensional images may result in ambiguity when the operator attempts to interact with the three-dimensional image.